Why not explore ePortfolio Practitioner Stories from the inside?

Shirley BennettUniversity of Hull

s.bennett@hull.ac.uk

Aim -

To issue an invitation to build on the experience of ePortfolio story-telling …

Why not invite a colleague to look

through a window, explore your ePortfolio practice from the inside, and collaborate in an opportunity for shared learning by watching the story as it evolves, through

On-Line Peer Observation

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Peer Observation in UK

Has …• been given a key role within quality review processes• become increasingly common practice

Is …• still typically used only within classroom settings

Should … • “embrace the breadth of the ‘teaching’ role and its

impact on the total learning environment.” (Kell, 2005, p.8).

Why do Online Peer Observation?

“… the majority of tutors new to online teaching do not have that background of online learning experience upon which to draw in the same way as trainee teachers starting out in classroom teaching can draw upon their personal classroom learning experiences which will date back from their early years at school.”

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“The online learning environment is significantly less familiar … than the classroom”

Tonkin and Baker, 2003

Model - Peer Review / Development(Gosling 2002, 2006 and Askew, 2004)

Evaluation Model

(“accountability”)

Development Model

(“co-operative”)

Peer Review Model

(“reflective”)

Quality assurance, training, appraisal, Improve teaching competencies Engagement in discussion about teaching; self and mutual reflection

Senior staff observe other staff teach Educational developers or expert teachers observe practitioners teach

Teachers observe / review each other’s practice

Power

(One-way)

Expertise

(One-way)

Equality / Mutuality

(Two way dialogue for learning)

A “checklist” identifying criteria for ‘excellence’

More open-ended, but still often using a checklist

Participant-ownership of focus / agenda

Pass/fail, score, quality assessment Advice on how to improve Non-judgemental, Constructive feedback

Peer Observation for QE and CPD

The primary purpose is that teachers, one acting as observer and one being observed, engage in mutual reflection on a teaching session in order that both can learn from it in order to inform future practice.

(McMahon, 2007: 502)

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The acquisition of knowledge and skill through active helping and supporting among status equals or matched companions.

Topping, K (2005)

How? - A standard three-part process …

3-stages

Preparation Observation Discussion

Scene-setting-

Discussion of objectives-

Agenda-setting

Observe class-

Notes in line with “Agenda”

“Feedback”-

Reflection + Discussion-

Points for the future

Stage 1 - Preparation - Setting the focus

Work Individually consider the following questions and jot down ideas:

• What aspects of student learning would be most interesting for you to explore?

• Is there an aspect of your teaching or assessment practice you would like to change?

• Are there aspects of your teaching or assessment practice that you would like to investigate, or reflect on further? (Note: this might be to understand better why something works well as much as something that is not working successfully.)

• What are your goals in your subject teaching / support work? Are they being achieved?

Gosling and O’Connor 2006

Starting Point – Your interests - Your development

2 aspects of your teaching you would like your observer to focus on:

1.

2.

2 aspects of teaching you would like to explore through observing others:

1.

2.

5 mins

Story 1 Blackboard 6 Discussion Forum

Team identified typical problems with

students’ engagement: The ‘yes man’ format. The ‘post and run' or mini-

essay, format!

- Level 4 module - Social Inclusion - 3 semi-synchronous discussions-Team-based engagement

Forward planning for observation on the basis of experiences in the past

Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to begin if the group has already started. Sometimes I wonder if they actually need me to say anything at all but I feel compelled to make a posting just to highlight that I am here.

Could you look at the level of interaction between tutor and student group? – i.e. is the facilitator effectively absent or over-bearing?

Stage 2 - Observation - Clear instructions where to “go” within the VLE

Stage 3 - Feedback, Reflection, Discussion “I would suggest revisiting the

underpinning task for the activity, probably as a team, because I think there are ways in which a little bit of re-design could really help the quality of discussion, avoiding some of the repetition existing (in all groups) at the moment and leading students deeper more quickly. Key issues might be:– a purpose for the discussion– more personal focus – e.g. allocating

particular issues to individuals/pairs.”

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Student comments: through informal evaluations

• “I enjoyed it…. I preferred it in smaller groups”

• “When we broke into smaller groups it was made a bit easier especially for those who can’t type as fast”

• I like the way you split us into smaller groups, I think it gives you more time to participate”

• “You can get a conversation flowing better that way”

Story 2

“Wetpaint” wiki

Tutor looked back on experience of

teaching the module and identified issues for exploration

– Activity design– Tutor role

• Level 7 module - eTutoring + eLearning Course Design

• Student-led “Hot Seat” discussions

• Asynchronous - wiki development + discussion

• Retrospective Peer Observation - looking back to explore problems experienced

Some drew well on their own experience. However, I would like to have seen more reference to learning from their peer observation and more reference to reading. Please pick one “Hot Seat” and see where I could have been more proactive in encouraging this?

I provided an example of how to set their Hot Seat up but one did nothing more than post questions. How could the example have been better-designed, to provide a clearer model ?

Stage 2 - Observation - “Explore at will!” within the wiki

Stage 3 - Feedback, Reflection, Discussion

• Questions in blue – encourage reference to learning gained from their peer observation

• Questions in red – encourage reference to readings

… I have not experienced inappropriate behaviour online - but providing guidance on netiquette can help with this. Have you observed inappropriate behaviour while doing your peer observation? If so, how did the observee deal with the situation? Students will also model the behaviour of their online tutor. Is there any evidence from your readings that supports this statement, or is it a personal impression? Regarding the skills difference between f2f and online….

Story 3

Blog Tool within Sakai-based VLE

Tutor identified “a number of tricky challenges for me in this …”

• Level 7 module - Research Methods

• Blog Tool used to support a “Collective Reflective Log”

• Asynchronous, student-led, interaction optional

• OLPO mid-way through module to guide evolving teaching / learning process

“Culture” - I am not a “Blogger” … and blogging has never felt to be something that fits my personality – so although I think it is the right technology for the job, I am nervous about “doing it right” – I have not used a Blog for teaching before now

Navigation in the Blog is actually quite difficult … I think all of this contributes to the fact that there are fewer comments on blogs than I had hoped. One “strategy” I have thought of is (from next week) to put people into pairs/threes

Stage 3 - Feedback, Reflection, Discussion

• A reasonable proportion of the students are undertaking voluntary blogging and a collaborative approach … the students are setting their own agenda. If I was a student in this cohort I would be happy with the level of support/challenge that you give in the blogs and I would also probably be happy if you just left us to it.

• There are end-user issues which work against student participation … to do with the presentation of the blog and its underlying technology.

• I can see the value of using a discussion forum approach because it would possibly (?) be easier for students to navigate and home in on topics that they want to collaborate on.

Story 4

Blackboard forum + Individual emails

Tutor asked for retrospective

observation to look back on a problematic incident , information given, student issue and tutor response.

• Level 6 module - Forensic Science

• Independent group work

• “Some information and timelines can be found on Blackboard and some are provided separately as email communications”

• Retrospective Peer Observation for feedback on incident

I would be interested in finding out if I supported the students appropriately online and responded in a justified and timely manner.

Story 5

Portfolio Tool within Merlin VLE

Tutor wanted feedback on the

tone/language of feedback during a first experience teaching wholly online• Level 4 module - Online

Facilitation + Tutoring• Samples of student

work and feedback

• OLPO mid-way through module after first assignment to guide further practice.

Receiving and giving feedback can be a very touchy process. It requires a good level of trust between the giver and the receiver; otherwise, the process may end up being counterproductive. And this trust is not as easily forged in an online environment, where the teacher has fewer clues as to how her message is getting to the learner.

Peer Observation Online is …

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The same …

Familiar benefits

• Two-way benefit - learning opportunity for observer and observee

• Overcome isolation, increase confidence, gain another view on specific concerns

• Situated learning - the chance to SEE it, not just TALK about it

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The same …

Challenges and risks remain the same - so Critical Success Factors still apply

“Observee” choice over:- Participation √- Choice of observer √- Focus of Observation √- Form of feedback √- Information flow √- Future action √

(McMahon, 2007: 502)

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It is only when students and staff are able to enquire into their practices through self-investigation and discussion, in an ethos that is not potentially punitive that critical issues in learning and teaching can be fully acknowledged and addressed. (Gosling and D’Andrea, 2001)

But different …Online observation offers more flexibility

• Of context - cross boundaries of place, discipline and technology

• Of focus - different aspects of the OL teaching and learning process and roles

• Of timing of observation – Predictive / Retrospective / Concurrent

• Of depth of observation– Overview / Drill down

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But different …• Time works differently - Identify a clear

focus • Context is more fuzzy - work out /

convey where observer needs to look• Confidence to observe online is

variable - Next tasks– Guidance– “Observation Tools”

• Approach - the “how” can and should be determined by the what and the why!

• Ethics - informing / consulting students

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So…

if you would like to get involved … let me know!

Thank you!

s.bennett@hull.ac.uk